'Secret Millionaire' Pays Off For ABC
by Elizabeth Sexton
Sunday ratings indicate that ABC may bank from a new reality series, "Secret Millionaire."
The new reality series sends a rich person undercover to do good among the ordinary people of the world.
With its first episode Sunday, "Secret Millionaire" hit the Top 10 in Nielsen ratings – a rare feat for new reality shows.
The opener received a seventh-place finish and a total of 12.7 million viewers, which was almost twice the viewership of an earlier version that ran on Fox in 2008.
The show even beat established shows like “Undercover Boss” and “Amazing Race.”
On Sunday’s show, America watched self-made millionaire Dani Johnson relocate to an underserved community in Knoxville, Tenn.
Johnson moved into a one-bedroom (slummy) apartment and had to live on $40 for the week. As she traveled the town, she encountered three different charities: a soup kitchen, a music program for children and an organization that creates dream bedrooms for children with life threatening illnesses.
At the end of the week, Johnson revealed herself and donated a total of $100,000 to the groups and people she encountered.